I remember the first time my mom brought home Little Women. I remember wanting to read it with a passion. It was large and had beautiful illustrations. Little did I know how much of an impact that story would have on my life, experiences, and how I view myself. 

 

I remember when I first read Little Women. I related to Amy the most, I felt imperfect a lot of the time, I felt self conscious and I could relate to many of her struggles at school. Amy had a hard time making friends and felt different from many of her peers, she loved art and fine things and so did I. Amy was a character that I could heavily relate to especially by having an older sibling and her strained relationship with Jo and her family. While reading for the first time I had always wanted to be like angelic Beth which is another reason why I felt comfort in Amy’s struggles. Beth always seemed perfect to me, something I should strive to be. Quiet and obedient. Beth seemed to never have any flaws. Seeing Beth’s character flourish became more and more painful after every re-reading because I knew her fate. 

 

After my second or third time reading I fell in love with Jo’s character. Her spirit, love for writing, and ambition was something I saw in myself. I was outspoken, not afraid to speak my mind, and had a temper that felt impossible to control, but like Jo I have learned how. Jo felt more like a role model rather than the comfort I felt with Amy. I wanted to not care what others thought of me like Jo and I wished that I would be as carefree as her. Jo had a way about her that I admired and I could relate to the struggle she felt with her younger sister Amy. I enjoyed seeing Jo’s growth throughout the many times I have read the story. The way she changes her control over her temper and emotions and starts to expose the sweet character that she has always buried underneath her tough exterior is a story that will never grow old to me. 

 

I find that everytime I read this timeless classic I find something new to love about it. An example would be when towards the end of the book. Amy has always known that she would marry rich, which is something that she does. Although she doesn’t spend the money on herself and instead insists upon helping others that were like her family and the Humnels, which are a family the March sisters help in the very beginning of the novel. 

 

Besides the countless amount of times I have read the book, I have also watched the 1994 Little Women starring Winona Ryder as Jo March, I have seen both the musical and the play as well. I have also read both Little Men and Jo’s Boys which take place after Little Women and are about Jo’s school for boys; Plumfield. 

 

As adaptations go you always know that they will never come as close to the original book that you cherish. I found the 1994 Little Women to be an excellent movie. The character of Beth was exceptionally well played by Clare Danes and she resembled and looked exactly how I had pictured her myself. Winona Ryder as Jo was also fantastic. Ryder is such a strong actress and she captured the character and charm of Jo beautifully.  The soundtrack is breathtaking and overall I found the movie to be a perfect watch when I need to cuddle up with a comfortable movie with a beautiful story and memorable characters.  

 

I saw the live performance of Little Women in 2018. Even though it was quite a few years ago it is still very memorable to me. I loved Beth in the play and I found her character very touching. The father-daughter relationship between Beth and Mr Laurence was very good and tear wrenching. Overall the characters were very touching. It might still be one of my absolute favorite memories because I got to see the story I had loved so much live. 

 

I have also seen Little Women at the Stratford festival. I loved the focus on the relationship between Jo and Beth. I also liked how they added in a comedic aspect as well. Some parts I didn’t like as much was Jo’s retaliation against being called her father’s “Little Women.” In the book Jo’s father often refers to his daughters as his “Little Women” in his letters home. In this version she seems to dislike it while in the book it is supposed to be a very tender moment for her because her father is away at war. I wish they hadn’t altered this part from the book because I found it untrue to the novel and had always been a part I had loved in all the other versions. In this play Jo doesn’t marry. I thought they left out a key part because in the book it shows how Jo runs a home for boys and becomes a successful writer while still being married and finding love; which is something Jo always questioned if she would find love or not. 

 

I am now on my 8th yearly re-read of Little Women as I have read it every year since grade 2. I will probably continue to develop my sense of the book and connect to different things but the story will still always remain timeless to me. 

After multiple re-reads Little Women will never be a book I grow tired of. I always find something new inside the timeless and beautiful story of family, growing up, and finding true love.